Overview
This safari is all about the big cats. Your guide follows the latest lion, leopard and cheetah movements in the central Serengeti instead of sticking to a fixed loop, giving you the best chance of good sightings.
You stay in comfortable camps away from the busiest lodges, so the bush still feels wild. On the way in you stop at Olduvai Gorge, and the trip ends with a game drive on the floor of the Ngorongoro Crater.
Read our guide to the big cats of the Serengeti, or contact us to reserve this safari.
| Accommodation | Confirmed together with you — see the Rates tab for general comfort levels we work with. |
|---|---|
| Meals | Full board on safari days; meals as specified for any city/beach nights, per your final itinerary. |
Day by Day (5 days)
ARRIVAL AND TRANSFER TO ARUSHA
Arrive at Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO) at any time. On arrival, get your tourist visa (US$100 per person for US and Canadian passport holders, paid in exact cash). You will also need a yellow fever certificate, and your passport must be valid for six months after your return with blank pages. After immigration and customs, our representative meets you and drives you to your hotel in Arusha.
OLDUVAI GORGE AND INTO THE CENTRAL SERENGETI
Today you head for the Serengeti, with an optional stop at Olduvai Gorge, where Louis and Mary Leakey made some of the world's most important finds about early humans in the 1950s. The small museum displays evidence of our ancestors dating back about 2.5 million years. After lunch you enter the Serengeti and spend the afternoon on game drives across open plains dotted with acacias and rocky kopjes. From December to February the migration herds of wildebeest, zebra and gazelle are usually nearby, and resident giraffe, buffalo, elephant, lion, cheetah and leopard can be seen all year.
Overnight at a tented camp chosen by Abakombe Tours.
FULL DAY TRACKING BIG CATS IN THE SERENGETI
An early start makes the most of a full day in the park. Your guide chooses the best areas for the season: you might watch hippos and crocodiles at the hippo pool, spend time with a large lion pride or find yourself among the migrating wildebeest and zebra. From the open plains you visit the kopjes, rocky outcrops where predators rest and shelter, with sweeping views over the grasslands. Expect elephant, giraffe, zebra, wildebeest and lion, with luck leopard and cheetah, and plenty of birds from secretary birds to ostriches.
Overnight at your tented camp.
NGORONGORO CRATER AND RETURN TO ARUSHA
After an early game drive you head for the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, where Maasai herders graze their cattle alongside the wildlife, giving you a glimpse of their way of life. After a stop at the entrance gate, you drive around the crater rim and look down on herds of wildebeest and buffalo, then descend to the crater floor. The steep walls make it a natural sanctuary where lion, elephant, buffalo, rhino and sometimes leopard can be seen. Giraffe are absent, as the slopes are too steep for them. In the late afternoon you drive back to your lodge in Arusha.
DEPARTURE
After breakfast or lunch we drive you directly to Kilimanjaro International Airport for your flight home.
Included: airport transfers in both directions and park fees.
Rates Per Person
The Overview tab explains the accommodation and meal options. Send us your dates and group size for an exact price.
Next: Inclusions →Inclusions
Included
- Private vehicle with your own driver-guide
- Park entry and conservation fees
- Accommodation as specified in your itinerary
- Meals as specified per day (full board on safari days)
- Airport pickup and drop-off
Excluded
- International flights
- Visa fees
- Travel insurance
- Tips and gratuities
- Personal expenses and souvenirs
Getting There
Tour Start & End
This trip starts in Serengeti National Park and ends in Olduvai Gorge.
Airport Information
Kilimanjaro International Airport or Mwanza Airport is the most common arrival point for this trip.
Transfer Information
We meet you at the airport and handle every transfer between destinations throughout your trip.
Accommodation Before/After
Want an extra night in Arusha, Moshi or Zanzibar before or after your trip? Just ask and we will arrange it.